Perspolis

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Persepolis (Old Persian Pârsa, modern Takht-e Jamshid): Greek name of one of the capitals of the ancient Achaemenid empire, founded by the great king Darius , forty-three kilometers downstream from the capital of Cyrus the Great, Pasargadae. There are some indications that the site of Persepolis was already a government's center under Cyrus the Great and his son Cambyses II , but there are no archaeological traces of this older phase. However this may be, it seems as if Darius 'invented' Persepolis as the splendid seat of the government of the Achaemenid empire and as its center for receptions and festivals. The wealth of Persia was to be visible in every aspect of its construction. Persepolis was a showcase . The first building phase may have lasted from 518 to 490. Darius' men leveled the ground and created a terrace of 450x300 meters, on which stood a large building and an audience hall. In the treasury, the booty of the conquered tribes and states and the annual tribute sent by the king's loyal subjects on the occasion of the New Year's festival, were stored. Many people were employed to keep the gold and silver shining: from the Fortification tablets, it is known that in 467 BCE, no less than 1348 people were employed in the treasury. Persepolis: Darius' palace The square audience hall, which was at the heart of the terrace, is usually called the Apadana . Its eastern stairs are famous for its representation of the people of the empire. The hall could contain hundreds, probably thousands, of people at the same time. It was the largest and probably the most beautiful of the buildings at Persepolis. The seventy-two columns which supported the roof were twenty-five meters higher. The founding inscription reads: